With the proximity of the World Cup in Brazil, the attention and efforts of those working in the promotion and defense of the rights of children are doubled: Major sporting events increase the risk of of sexual exploitation, child labor, trafficking and disappearances for girls, boys and adolescents.
In Brazil, millions of children suffer poverty and deprivation, and many live on the streets, which makes them particularly vulnerable to human rights violations. Mega-events like the World Cup, tend to increase urban violence, and police repression.The host cities of the World Cup are areas that already present high levels of vulnerable children and adolescents, even during off season events. An example is sexual exploitation, one of the most serious forms of violation of rights.
Due to the celebration of the World Cup, various institutions are developing joint actions to minimize the negative impacts on children and adolescents in order to strengthen safety nets in communities and cities.
Unfortunately, progress is slow, as revealed by a recent diagnosis of the Rights Guarantee System in the host cities of the World Cup, which identifies a number of deficiencies and problems in institutions and safety nets.The present situation of the Child Rights Guarantee System is not disassociated from the general context of the weak effectuation in the legitimacy of rights in Brazil.
Demonstrations that have gained strength since June 2013, expressed the clear desires and needs of the population to having an improved standard of living that ensures their rights to access health,education, housing,mobility and social welfare are met.
The World Cup in Brazil opens opportunities to strengthen active citizenship, and to leave a legacy of respect and protection for children and adolescents.
From Equity for Children, we want to present some campaigns that have been developed by diverse organizations to strengthen safety nets for children to prevent violence in the first place and guide people on how to report cases of violation of rights. These initiatives, serve as a reference and inspiration for future joint action to protect children from violence such as the upcoming 2016 Olympics, large festivals such as the Carnival in Rio, and other mega-events to be held worldwide.
For more information.(Spanish and Portuguese)
– Campaña: “No mires para otro lado”
